Protesters, LGBTQ+ activists flock to final Glendale school board meeting
For the second time this month, the parking lot outside of the Glendale school board meeting served as the battleground for pro and anti-LGBTQ+ protesters dueling over gender and sexual identity curricula.
Two weeks ago, several fights broke out between protesters, forcing officers to declare an unlawful assembly and arrest three people.
Similar to the last meeting, the Glendale Unified School District did not have anything related to LGBTQ+ studies on its agenda for the final meeting of the year. Despite this, protesters exchanged fiery and foul language with each other.
"The school board is a slave to the Democratic Party," one protester shouted into a megaphone. "They are a slave to the teacher's union.
Unlike the last rally, the crowds were far smaller and police used concertina wire without barbs to separate the two sides.
"I came out here to support queer kids," said another protester. "I feel like it's never too early to teach acceptance and inclusion and that's all the school districts are trying to do."
Inside the district's headquarters protesters directed their lively testimonies to the school board, who rebuffed calls for them to refuse certain state policies regarding LGBTQ rights.
"I'm disgusted," said one person during the meeting. "The community is disgusted with the lies, the deceit."
GUSD said it will follow the California Fair Act when it comes to crafting school curricula.
"Everyone has a right to their opinion but no one has a right to threaten, bully or harass another person," said board president Nayiri Nahabedian. "No one has a right to insight violence."
Compared to two earlier this month, the protesters remained relatively peaceful with a very minor scuffle happening outside the meeting.
During Tuesday night's meeting, Superintendent Vivian Ekchian announced she is retiring effective June 30, ending a 38-year career in education.
